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Alternatives to Energy Suspension 9.4102?

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    Alternatives to Energy Suspension 9.4102?

    I was looking at the ES website and came across a possible alternative to the commonly used 9.4102 poly body to frame bushings. Might anyone with experience using the 9.4102 be able to shed light on the possible alternative? The part number I'm talking about is 9.4101.

    Energy Suspension 9.4102
    Energy Suspension 9.4101

    I bring this up because others have mentioned that the 9.4102 bushings are taller than stock to the point of creating issues with bumper alignment. The 9.4101 bushings are considerably shorter (perhaps too short?).
    —John

    1985 Ford F-150 XLT Lariat
    1990 Mercury Grand Marquis LS (POTM March 2017 & May 2019 - gone, but not forgotten)
    1995 Mustang SVT Cobra coupe (cream puff)
    1966 Mustang coupe (restoration in-progress)

    #2
    Those are more than 1/4" shorter (11/32"), have a much different hole size to pass through (7/8" vs 1 1/4") and a smaller overall diameter.

    The overall diameter may not be an issue. There's about 4.9 square inches of bearing surface between the body and frame for each of the 9.4102 bushings, and only about 3.9 square inches for the 9.4101. I don't know if the weight is enough to damage the bushings, because you'd have about 20% less strength. Then again, they may hold up fine. The ride may feel harsher as there is less material to absorb vibration.

    Being shorter, they would require shims (though it IS easier to add shims than to remove material...). Again, with solid shims, there would be less poly material to absorb bumps and vibration.

    The hole diameter would require adapters like JeffBoudah's design; a thicker shim could be designed that both centered the bushing and raised it to the height of the original mount.

    My own plan is to find the original height of the rubber isolators, and set up a jig to take a slice off the poly ones (and the associated inner sleeve) if they are too tall. I'm not too concerned about changes in ride comfort to a point, but this is a daily driver and I don't want my passengers to lose their fillings on our poorly maintained back roads in Maine...

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